Highland Park Freya, 15 years old / 51.2% / 0.7l

In 2012, the Highland Park series The Valhalla Collection debuted with a Thor edition .

The people of Orkney are very particular about their heritage and beliefs, which in this case meant a nod to Scandinavia (Orkney was invaded and annexed by the Norwegians in 875, and Gaelic was never spoken there). Freya was released in 2014 as the third instalment in the Valhalla quartet. It bears the name of the Norse Goddess of Love and Fertility, who wears a feathered cloak that evokes the Northern Lights. The whisky spent 15 years in first-fill bourbon barrels, and the cask-strength edition consisted of 19,000 bottles.

Nose : sweet, fruity, apricots, pears, mango, honeydew melon, vanilla, coconut flakes, honey, traces of cinnamon and oak and a distant note of peat smoke.

Palate: lots of ripe fruit, apples, oranges, apricots, vanilla, honey, milk fudge, candied ginger, notes of cinnamon and lemongrass wrapped in peat smoke.

Finish: long, initially sweet, soon turning spicy with quite a strong note of peat and smoke.